Charge Spoon saddles...

[wafter]

I'm considering changing the saddle on my Boardman as its less-than-stellar rep has been bourne out by my own experiences.. I've never found it particularly comfortable and recently discovered it's sitting low on one side; "coincidentally" the same side I get a regular arse-sore after a good bit of riding.

Having ridden my Genesis exclusively for the past two+ weeks my right cheek's dermatalogical blight has all but disappeared despite the fact I've probably covered more distance in this time than I have in any similar time period on the Boardman.

The Genesis' saddle is made by Velo, who also make the Charge Spoon, and on casual inspection the rails are exactly the same and geometry certainly very, very similar (if not identical), so things are looking promising. I guess I could swap the Genesis saddle onto the Boardman for a bit of a test ride, but tbh can't be arsed with the faff.

The Spoons look like great value and get near universally-decent reviews; is there any thing I should know before throwing away a bit more cash I don't have..?

As usual the budget's a concern and I'm not interested in paying through the nose for Ti / leather, so it would just be the boggo offering with steel rails. As much as I really like some of their more extrovert / colourful schemes in isolation, no doubt I'll opt for a more low-key black offering..

Ta

 

[Spiderweb]

They really suit me and I would certainly recommend. They are inexpensive, I’ve never paid more than £20 new, second hand they seem to fetch £12-£15 so buy new, if it doesn’t suit then you can sell on with little loss.
https://www.merlincycles.com/charge-spoon-cromo-rail-saddle-106422.html

 

[ColinJ]

The Spoons look like great value and get near universally-decent reviews; is there any thing I should know before throwing away a bit more cash I don't have..?

Yes - 'near universally' isn't the same thing as 'universally'! I found the Charge Spoon saddle on one of my bikes really uncomfortable and got rid of it!

Best to try one before buying if you can, but as @Spiderweb suggests, you probably wouldn't make a big loss if you bought one and didn't get on with it.

 

[cyberknight]

I rode stock boardman saddles for years and got on with them but recently started getting saddle sores and after much research it was suggested to me that i needed a wider saddle as i felt like i was sitting on the pad edge but it seems i was overhanging the saddle edge and chafing . my shorts agreed as i was getting a lot of wear in the same spot.
I chanced it on a spoon that i was given and it cured my woes and i am in the process of changing all bikes to them and and a fabric scoop which is very similar .
Just one piece of advice would be set up with them as they are a curved saddle i rest a spirit level on the nose and the back lip and level from there and a idropped it a few mm in height .

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I've swapped between the Spoon and the stock Genesis saddle a few times and I much prefer the latter, I'm obviously not one of the many that like the Charge.

 

[fossala]

I have a spare genesis saddle removed from a new bike. You can have it for postage if needed.

 

[jay clock]

I have multiple Spoons inc a Ti/leather one. I do prefer the leather, but regular ones fine too. I love them. I don't think the Ti option saves much weight though

 

[I like Skol]

Get the false brown leather one, stylish, comfy and cheap

 

[smokeysmoo]

Yes - 'near universally' isn't the same thing as 'universally'! I found the Charge Spoon saddle on one of my bikes really uncomfortable and got rid of it!

Ditto

I tried one after also reading 'near universal' great reviews, sadly fell into the elite that just don't get on with the spoon

As mentioned already they aren't expensive so it's a small risk, not like buying something like THIS and finding it doesn't suit

 

[fossyant]

The spoon's are very good for the money. I rode 'knifes' for a few years, virtually the same but lighter, but kinfe's had an issue with the base snapping (I broke 2 under warrenty). We have a 'ladle' on my wife's MTB.

 

[ColinJ]

As mentioned already they aren't expensive so it's a small risk, not like buying something like THIS and finding it doesn't suit

Yikes!

I found a saddle type that really suited me - the original Fizik Arione and that was a more affordable £70-odd. The problem was that they turned out to be fragile. The 'Wing-Flex' system which made the saddle more compliant also introduced stress risers from which cracks would start. I owned 2 Arione saddles which broke that way and read about lots of other people having the same problem.

I tried a 3rd Arione but by then Fizik (for some inexplicable reason) had taken the design's original curved top and replaced it with a horrid flat one which I really did NOT get on with so that one had to go.

I discovered that Planet X do an own brand 'superlight' saddle which is a very similar shape to the original Arione. I have now switched over to them on all of my bikes. Very affordable at the full price, but I got some at even lower prices in sales and from other CC members.

 

[fossyant]

I've got an expensive Selle Italia SLR on my best bike, but bought it from the Velodrome Jumble for £25 - so nothing lost.

You'll find a certain type of saddle suits. For example, I like relatively flat saddles like the spoon, either with or without a cut out - I find no issues so long as the saddle is flat side to side.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I have 2 bikes, I have 2 spoons, seem to suit me

 

[cyberknight]

Yikes!

I found a saddle type that really suited me - the original Fizik Arione and that was a more affordable £70-odd. The problem was that they turned out to be fragile. The 'Wing-Flex' system which made the saddle more compliant also introduced stress risers from which cracks would start. I owned 2 Arione saddles which broke that way and read about lots of other people having the same problem.

I tried a 3rd Arione but by then Fizik (for some inexplicable reason) had taken the design's original curved top and replaced it with a horrid flat one which I really did NOT get on with so that one had to go.

I discovered that Planet X do an own brand 'superlight' saddle which is a very similar shape to the original Arione. I have now switched over to them on all of my bikes. Very affordable at the full price, but I got some at even lower prices in sales and from other CC members.

Pretty similar to the boardman stock saddles by the look of it .

 

[Gunk]

As @Spiderweb says you can pick up really clean examples for next to nothing, I bought one off eBay for my Raleigh project for a tenner posted, they’re a very good saddle.